Banjo



Octi 28, 1930. c. KRI-:MP 1,779,9?2

BANJO Filed NOV. 23, 1927 INVI-FJVTOE lw I Patented Oct. 28, 1930 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAR-L KREMP, OF PI-IILADELPHIA, IPENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO H. A. WEYMANN & SON, INC., OF PHILADELPI-IIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA vBANJO Application filed November 23, 1927.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in a banjo and has for its primary object to Construct a musical instrument of the banjo type wherein a resonator or amplifier is combined as a part of the instrument in a unitary structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument of the banjo type including a straining ring or hoop which is held in place by the usual straining hooks and their associated nuts, said hooks passing through an enlarged portion of the instrument rim and a resonator or amplifier mounted on the rim, and having apertures therein for the passage of the nuts and for the insertion of a wrench to adjust said nuts.

A further object of this invention is to so Construct the body of the musical instrument as to eliminate the usual protruding brackets and to permanently mount on said instrument an amplifierI or resonator whereby the musical tones emanating from the instrument Will be confined inA a relatively small area and permitted to pass therefrom toward the audience when faced by the musician, thus giving a greater scope to said tones so that they may be heard at a considerable distance and at the same time modifying the musical vibrations to give mellowness thereto, said resonator or amplifier being provided with apertures in its rear or end wall for access to nuts on straining hooks which pass through an enlargement of the instrument body or rim so that the body, as a whole, presents a smooth surface and eliminates all protuberances that might catch in a snare the clothing of the musician.

Another object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument, comprising, in combination, an instrument body or rim having an enlargement for the reception of the straining hooks, an amplifier fixed to the back or rear edge of the rim, and provided with apertures for access to nuts on the straining hooks, the sides of said amplifier being spaced from the rim which space is in communication with the interior of the rim through holes in the rear edge of the latter and an apertured flange mounted on the shoulder formed by the enlargement o f the Serial No. 235,178.

rim, and eXte'nding toward, and preferably out of contact with the side wall of the ainplilier so as to substantially conceal the space between the banjo rim and amplifier from the view of an audience.

With these ends in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those Skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1, is a face view of a banjo constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2, is an enlarged sectional view thereof on the center line of the instrument neck, a portion of the latter being left in elevation.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged fragmentary face view of the instrument to illustrate details of construction.

Fig. 4, is a similar view of the back of the instrument.

Fig. 5, is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

In carrying out my invention as herein embodied, 6 represents the rim of the musical instrument constructed of any suitable material, preferably wood and made from one or more pieces as is well known in the manufacture of musical instruments. This rim has an enlargement or off-set portion 7 pro- Viding a shoulder 8 and across that portion of smaller exterior diameter, is disposed the parchment head 9, and if found desirable, a metal ring 10 may be placed about the smaller portion of the rim with an inturned roll flange overlying the edge of the rim and on which the parchment head rests.

The parchment head is held in place by a straining ring or hoop 11 engaged by the hooked ends of the straining hooks 12 which pass through the bores 13 in the enlarged or off-set portion of the rim and project into the counter bores 14 communicating with the aforementioned bores. Nuts 15 are threaded on the straining hooks entirely within the counter bores, it being understood that the straining hooks are of such length that their threaded ends will not protrude from the counter bores when the straining ring is adjusted to its full extent.

On the rear edge of the instrument rim is mounted an amplifier or resonator 16 including a. back or end wall 17, larger in size than the body or rim of the instrument and preferably concavo-convex. From the outer edge of the back extends the side wall 18 of a height substantiallyequal to that' of the enlarged portion of the banjo rim and spaced from said rim to provide a sound channel 19 'in communication with the interior of the rim through holes 20 formedin said rim adjacent the rearor inner edge thereof.l As before stated, the resonator or `amplifier includes the back 17 and the side wall 18 and is fixed to the rear edge of the instrument 4 rim by a suitable adhesive or otherwise and Vconceal the channel.

in orderto have access to the nuts 15, the

back of the amplifier is provided with aperof the removable flange short of the si'dewallV of the amplifier, yet it could extend intoV a groove or over the outer edge of the amplifier side wall, since its only function is to has openings 24t-through it in the region of V the sound channel to provide for the issuance of the sound wavesV after they' have vpassed into the channel from the'interior vof theV instrument through the holes 20. I From the foregoingl description, it will be obvious that a musical instrument, construction in accordance with the above description will combine the advantages of aV smooth surface musical instrument and lan amplifier or resonator without' the disadvantages of having'to'remove the ampli'er when it is neces-l sary or desirable to regulatethe 1a'arc'hmentfi head through thefmedium of' t e fillister' SCI'GWS. I

The side wall ofthe amplifier is prefer-V k ably cut out for the vneckV 25 of the instrument, although it is to be understood that: said side wall couldv be fitted into'agroove inv said' neck.v

Ofjcourse I do not-wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as herein:l shown, as thesemay be. varied within the'lim- .its of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention;

The removablel fiangeV access to the nuts..

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is:

1. A stringed musical instrument including a rim, an amplifier fixed to the rear edge of said rim with the side wall thereof in spaced relation to said riml to form a sound channel, said sound channel;v being in communication with the interior of the rim' through holes in the latter, straining hooks adapted to engagea straining ring. on' the? instrument 'and passing throughV boresv and into counter bores 1n the rim, and nuts having .threaded engagement with the straining hooks and, setting within the counter bores to which access is hadL through apertures in the amplifier.`V h V 2,. a device of thecharacter stated, a-V banjo including a rim having anl enlargedi port-ion at its rear in which. are formed bores and counter bores and further provided with radial holes atthe rear edge thereof, and an amplifier fixed -to the rear of therim and provided with hoies for registration with the. counter bores.

3. A 'banjo including a rim, an amplifier' fixed to the rear edge of4 said rim and com- Vbined therewithin a unitary structure, and

said amplifier having apertures;l in the back registering .wi-th bores edgewiserthrough the rim, each rimbore being of two. diiferent diameters to receiveia straining hook and its nut, to' theflatter of which' access is had through an aperturein the-amplifier.

4. lln aV banjo, a rim havingangenlarged rear portion extending outside of the for- Ward;4 portion. and providing;J a shoulder, a parchment head 'disposedracross the forward end, a: straining ring for engagement 'withsaidhelad, straining hooks coacting with the straining ring, andpassmg through bores in the enlarged portlon of. the rlmfand proJecting into counter bores, communicating withV said bores, nuts threaded on. said straining.

hooks andV located within the counter bores, an amplifier including a backV and-side Wall p'artially enclosing the rim. and'ffixed: thereto through the medium of the back wallfwith4 the side wall. spaced from over the, rim to form a. sound channel. in communication with the interior of therirn throughradialfholes formed: in said rim at the rear edge thereof,, the back of said amplifier having apertures` aligned with: the counter bores. to permit 5..,The structure set forth. in claim ll' in combination with an apertured removableiiange mounted on the enlargedfiV portion ofV V the rim and projecting across the outer endi of the sound channel. V

6.V In a. stringed musical' instrument, a rim having a peripherial. enlargement about the I lower portion to'producef a shoulder, said rim-having apertures adjacent ltslower edge, an amplifier disposedacross the lower edge` 4. of the rim surrounding the enlargement in spaced relation thereto, and means mounted upon the shoulder to partially cover the space between said rim and amplifier.

7. In a stringed musical instrument, a rim, an amplifier including a back Wall secured to the back edge of Said rim With the edges of said back Wall projecting beyond the outer face of the rim, an annular member secured to the projecting edge of said back Wall and surrounding the rim in spaced relation thereto to provide a sound chamber in communication With the interior of the rim through apertures in the latter, a head disposed only over the front edge of the rim and tensioning means for said head, said tensioning means including straining hooks passing through the rim.

S. A banjo and amplifier Combined in a unitary structure, said banjo including a rim, a head disposed across the front thereof, a straining hoop coacting With the head, straining hooks engaging the hoop and passing part-Way through the rim, nuts threaded on said hooks and said amplifier including a back Wall permanently fixed to the back of the rim and having holes therethrough for access to the nuts and a side Wall projecting from the back Wall and spaced from the outer side surface of the rim to provide a sound channel in communication With the interior of the rim through holes in the latter.

9. A banjo and an amplifier Combined therewith in a unitary structure, said banjo including a rim having. holes therethrough from face to face and further provided With beres and counter-beres for the reception of straining hooks, said amplifier including a back and a side Wall spaced from the banjo rim to form a. sound channel in communication With the interior of the banjo rim through the holes in the latter and the back of said amplifier having apertures therein communicating With the counter-bores.

In testimony Whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

CARL KREMP. 

